Pan Am / Parapan Am Aquatics Centre, Toronto

The Pan Am / Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus was a key venue for the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, with a 6,000-capacity main competition pool.

The complex includes two 10-lane, 52m international competition pools and a 5.5m-deep diving tank, plus an indoor recreational track, fitness facilities and a field house for training and competition. The complex will now serve as a national high-performance aquatics and athletics facility and will house the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario (CSIO), a world-leading sports research facility.

The building is depressed approximately eight metres into the ground, enabling its high volume spaces to be accommodated without overpowering the surrounding area. The foundations are made from cast-in- place concrete with a structural steel superstructure. Long span roofs are framed with structural steel trusses and beams, and the floors with concrete on steel deck, supported by composite steel beams. The competition and training pools are prefabricated.

Using energy modelling and design feedback, we helped the project’s sponsors achieve an ambitious energy target. Green roofs cover around 60% of the structure’s roof area. We also carried out daylight simulations to support strategies for controlling glare within the competition spaces.